nature–nurture controversy

Long-standing dispute among philosophers and psychologists over the relative importance of environment, that is, upbringing, experience, and learning (‘nurture’), and heredity, that is, genetic inheritance (‘nature’), in determining the make-up of an organism, as related to human personality and intelligence.

One area of contention is the reason for differences between individuals; for example, in performing intelligence tests. The environmentalist position assumes that individuals do not differ significantly in their inherited mental abilities and that subsequent differences are due to learning, or to differences in early experiences. Opponents insist that certain differences in the capacities of individuals (and hence their behaviour) can be attributed to inherited differences in their genetic make-up.